The olive tree, a sacred tree, is venerated throughout Provence. It is one of the most typical elements of the Provençal landscape and culture.
Its fruits, the olives, are excellent food. They can be green, i.e. harvested before they are ripe. There are also black olives, which are harvested when they are ripe.
Let’s see how to prepare the famous black olives with salt.
Information : Black olives from the Baux-de-Provence valley are from the Grossane variety.
Preparation of the black olives with salt :
- Rinse and dry the olives.
- Prick the olives with needles (or a fork) all over.
- Place the olives in a stoneware or glass container.
- Cover them completely with coarse salt. The salt will drain the bitter water from the olive.
- Leave the olives to rest in the salt, aerating them and stirring them daily for about ten days (if after ten days they are still bitter, leave them for a few more days). When there is no more bitterness, the olives are ready.
- Remove the excess salt by putting them in a sieve for example.
- The olives are then placed in a jar with the garlic, bay leaves and thyme and covered entirely with olive oil.
The salted black olives are ready. Not only for the aperitif, you can also use them as a condiment to spice up a dish in sauce for example (remember not to salt your dish, the olives take care of themselves).
